Broad Green’s upcoming slate includes Robert Redford's 'Walk in the Woods'

The companies will be operating together at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

Upstart distributor Broad Green Pictures has acquired a 45 percent stake in Mister Smith Entertainment, the London-based licensing and distribution company that is best known Stateside for repping DreamWorks films for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

David Garrett will continue as Mister Smith’s CEO and will be part of Broad Green’s green-light committee with Mister Smith acting as the international sales and distribution arm for Broad Green films. Mister Smith will have first right to handle the sales of Broad Green's films internationally.

The partnership gives Broad Green the ability to maximize the foreign distribution of its internally developed film slate of wide releases and awards-oriented specialty platform releases and will also allow Broad Green to acquire worldwide rights on selected feature projects, with Mister Smith selling international. The move will also allow Mister Smith the ability to offer filmmakers equity and financing for productions.

The companies will be operating together at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

“The most difficult challenge any rapidly growing company faces is keeping its culture intact as it grows, and David is not only the very best at what he does, he is an incredible person,” Broad Green CEO Gabriel Hammond said. “There couldn’t be a more perfect fit to represent BGP in the international marketplace, and we are so excited to help David grow his business.”

Added Garrett: “Gabriel and Daniel Hammond are an incredibly dynamic and visionary duo, and I am excited by the possibilities afforded by such a collaboration with the Broad Green team. Making an alliance with a U.S. distributor seemed the next logical step for Mister Smith, and Broad Green’s business philosophy and ethos are a great fit with ours.”

Founded last year, Broad Green’s upcoming slate includes Walk in the Woods, 99 Homes and Learning to Drive as well as Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups, Voyage of Time and untitled project starring Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender.